The Secret - The Secret 1979

English Punk/New Wave band formed by Benny Leopard (Barry Andrews) and Micky Modern in the mid-70's. 

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The Beatles - Rubber Soul 1965

While the Beatles still largely stuck to love songs on Rubber Soul, the lyrics represented a quantum leap in terms of thoughtfulness, maturity, and complex ambiguities. Musically, too, it was a substantial leap forward, with intricate folk-rock arrangements that reflected the increasing influence of Dylan and the Byrds. The group and George Martin were also beginning to expand the conventional instrumental parameters of the rock group, using a sitar on "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)," Greek-like guitar lines on "Michelle" and "Girl," fuzz bass on "Think for Yourself," and a piano made to sound like a harpsichord on the instrumental break of "In My Life." While John and Paul were beginning to carve separate songwriting identities at this point, the album is full of great tunes, from "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" and "Michelle" to "Girl," "I'm Looking Through You," "You Won't See Me," "Drive My Car," and "Nowhere Man" (the last of which was the first Beatle song to move beyond romantic themes entirely). George Harrison was also developing into a fine songwriter with his two contributions, "Think for Yourself" and the Byrds-ish "If I Needed Someone." AMG.

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Home - Pause For A Hoarse Horse 1971

The influence of American late-'60s and early-'70s West Coast country-rock on the early-'70s British rock scene was mild on the whole, but its quite pronounced impact on a few U.K. bands has been overlooked. There were Brinsley Schwarz and Matthews' Southern Comfort, and, in a much more obscure instance, Home's rather awkwardly titled debut LP Pause for a Hoarse Horse. Home were good, competent players, capable of good-natured country-rock with some sparkling guitar, sometimes speckled with a hint of Paul McCartney-esque pop or (especially on "Family") Crosby, Stills & Nash harmonies. But while there was nothing seriously flawed or irritating about the album, there was nothing special about the material, largely written by lead singer Mick Stubbs. They would have been eminently suitable as an opening act for the likes of the Flying Burrito Brothers, or, for that matter, Brinsley Schwarz and Matthews' Southern Comfort. But they didn't have songs on the order of any of those bands, or an approach that was nearly as distinctive. The result was an album that was both inoffensive and inessential, occasionally straying from country-rock into average straightforward harder rock. AMG.

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Catherine Ribeiro - Le Blues de Piaf 1977

About the same time that Brigette Fontaine started releasing records that combined the traditional French chanteuse style with more radical and progressive music forms, Catherine Ribeiro was traveling a similar route, although she remained even more obscure internationally than Fontaine. Whereas Fontaine's voice was usually soft and sweet, Ribeiro sometimes hit more harshly with lower tones, even sounding like Nico with far more emotion, over an experimental backing that could include folk-rock, progressive rock, improvisation, and more. Her unique voice certainly hinted at her troubled upbringing. Born in 1941 in France to Portuguese immigrants, Ribeiro's early childhood was quite traumatic. With the constant bombs going off during the war, her mother often locked her in the cellar in the dark. Her younger brother was six months old when he died suddenly, and when Ribeiro got older, she was often in and out of psychiatric wards. In her early twenties she became an actor, appearing in the 1962 spaghetti Western Buffalo Bill and the next year in French New Wave director Jean Luc Godard's Les Carabiniers (aka The Mercenaries or The Soldiers). By the mid-'60s, Ribeiro began taking her singing more seriously, and in 1966, she cut two singles for Barclay Records, one of which was a version of Dylan's "It's All Over Now Baby Blue." In 1969, she had a new band, 2Bis, led by Patrice Moullet, to back her on her first LP, simply titled Catherine Ribeiro + 2 Bis, released on the Festival label. On her second LP, simply titled No. 2, and also on Festival in 1970, 2Bis had become Alpes, the band that would follow Ribeiro on her next several releases. Besides Moullet, who provided guitars, organ, electronics, and vocals, Alpes consisted only of Denis Cohen on percussion and organ, though a pair of Portuguese guitarists, Pires Moliceiro and Isaac Robles Monteiro, were guest musicians on one track on No. 2. On subsequent releases, which came out about once a year on the Philips label, Alpes would often change completely from album to album, with Moullet as the only constant factor. These records, Ame Debout ("Upright Soul"), Paix ("Peace"), Le Rat Debile et l'Homme des Champs ("The Weak Rat and the Man of the Fields"), and Libertes? were some of Ribeiro's most creative, with the music composed mostly by Moullet.

Even as Ribeiro continued to work with Alpes, she also started doing albums under her name alone where, instead of her own material, she paid tribute to older artists. The first of these was the 1977 release Le Blues de Piaf, where she covered songs done by Edith Piaf, followed by the 1978 LP Jacqueries, with works composed by Jacques Prévert and Sebastien Maroto. She also worked with other artists like Peter Gabriel on the 1982 record Soleil Dans l'Ombre ("Sun in the Shade"). By the early '90s, her output had slowed down. In 1999, she wrote a memoir of her early childhood, L'Enfance, published by L'Archipel, and she occasionally staged concert tours. Ribeiro died on August 23, 2024; she was 82 years of age. AMG.

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Brother Ah - Move Ever Onward 1975

This isn't quite what one would expect from a man in Sun Ra's orbit. Quite frankly, this is mannered music, composed and arranged in side-long suites, sort of an African-tinged Porgy & Bess. The powerful voice of Aiisha kicks off each side with a sort of lyrical narration -- you know the sort: lots of images of cotton fields and hot baked streets, fairly typical for this sort of '60s ensemble. What isn't as typical is the instrumentation. Besides the expected African percussion, koto and other Asian instruments (including a sitar) are heard. One of the most affecting pieces might be "Celestial Strings," a duet of koto and kora backed with tumbling percussion. Like most of the album, the effect is subtly jarring and just different enough to be unique. AMG.

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Clark Hutchinson - Retribution 1970

Clark-Hutchinson's debut album had been devoted entirely to long, tiresome psychedelic guitar instrumentals with Indian and blues-rock influences. On their second record, although some of that approach was retained, they at least branched out to some degree, adding some vocals and somewhat more deranged blues-rock tangents. And guess what? It's still indulgent psychedelic hard rock, often annoyingly so, all but one of the five tracks falling into the seven- to ten-minute range. It's some of the most lunkheaded stoner rock you'll come across, and if that seems like a churlishly unfair label, it's one they bring onto themselves with the first cut, "Free to Be Stoned." For it's here they fly their inept freak flag high, a from-the-gutter, hysterical vocal declaring against a crude blues-rock backing, "I don't wanna be good, but I don't care if I'm bad, I don't want to feel happy, but I don't care if I feel sad...I just wanna be...STONED! STONED! STONED! STONED! For the rest of my natural life!" Just the kind of guy you want to hang out with for next half-hour, huh? The attitude-over-songwriting ethos continues to rule over most of the other tracks, including a tepid ten-minute cocktail jazz instrumental, a ten-minute standard blues-rocker featuring (like "Free to Be Stoned") some of the most disagreeably half-shouted British blues-rock vocals ever laid down, and a finale ("Death, the Lover") that comes off like a particularly bad Arthur Brown imitation in its high-pitched vocal and lyrical mania. AMG.

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Supersister - Present From Nancy 1970

There are few bands who have managed to record such a strong, fully developed first album after only two years of existence. Supersister's debut effort remains one of Holland's best progressive rock albums and a classic of the genre worldwide, even though the group garnered only fringe interest outside of Europe. All the elements of the group's sound are already firmly in place: Sacha VanGeest's soothing flute lines, Robert Jan Stips' far-out keyboard sounds, and the group's wacky humor. The recipe has yet to reach its full, unique potential -- one too easily detects specific influences, mostly that of Soft Machine (the fuzz bass in "Metamorphosis"), Caravan ("Memories Are New" and the multi-part, suite-like structure of some songs), and the Mothers of Invention (the comic relief 90 seconds of "Corporation Combo Boys," concluding with the following lyric sung in four-part harmony: "We listen with attention to the Mothers of Invention"). The title track is the jazziest song of the set and features one of VanGeest's most memorable flute lines. "Memories Are New" and "Metamorphosis" are both Canterbury-esque prog rockers, with Dave Sinclair-like organ sounds, complex rhythms, and dry English humor. One thinks of Egg's first album or Caravan circa If I Could Do It All Over Again.... With its choral organ/vibes theme, "Dona Nobis Pacem" illustrates a more classically inclined side of the band. After the raucous experiments and craziness of the previous tracks, this delicate, carefully built piece can seem slightly out of character -- at least until Stips breaks out into a circus-like calliope motive, reaffirming one last time that Supersister shall be known for their serious lack of seriousness. AMG.

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Don Robertson - Dawn 1969

Composer and musician, born 1942 in Denver, Colorado. Mostly an experimental artist with recordings ranging from new age to pop-classical music. 

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Quiet Sun - Mainstream 1975

Phil Manzanera's pre-Roxy Music group never got to release their first attempt at an album, but in a break from Roxy in 1974, Manzanera regrouped the band and put out this effort, recorded at the same time as his solo extravaganza Diamond Head. Here, Manzanera disappears into the art rock group dynamic; the album is a selection of progressive jams featuring some tasty guitar work, complex rhythmic structures, and the always reliable bass work of Bill MacCormick. There is a certain dryness to the whole proceeding, a holding back, a lack of warmth, but perhaps this perception is derived from over half the tracks sounding so much better a year later as part of 801's Live, including "Sol Caliente," "Mummy Was an Asteroid, Daddy Was a Small, Non-Stick Kitchen Utensil," and especially "Rongwrong." Here the Charles Hayward song sounds like a university common-room joke, with its name-dropping of "reading Schoenberg in the bath" and such. Compared to the lush arrangement and rewritten lyrics of the Brian Eno-sung 801 version, Quiet Sun sounds like one album away from brilliance. AMG.

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Floating Bridge - Floating Bridge 1969

Guitarist Rich Dangel had been a member of The Wailers, as well as the lesser known The Rooks and a late incarnation of The Time Machine.

Following The Time Machine's collapse in 1967 Dangel and bass player Joe Johnson decided to form their own band. Recruiting guitarist Joe Johansen and drummer Michael Marinelli the result was The Unknown Factor. Serving as a for-hire backing band, the quartet worked with local acts such as Patti Allen and Ron Holden.

In 1968 they added former Punch singer Pat Gossan to the lineup. They quickly scored a deal becoming the house band at Seattle's Eagle Auditorium and attracted considerable attention as one of the acts performing at the 1968 Sky River Rock Festival. The resulting publicity saw them sign a contract with the L.A. based Vault Records. The group subsequently debuted with a dandy 1968 single 'Brought Up Wrong' b/w 'Watch Your Step' (Vault catalog number V-947). While the single did little commercially, it attracted enough attention for Vault to finance a follow-on album. Released in 1969 the cleverly titled "Floating Bridge" teamed the band with producer Jackie Mills. Musically the set offered up a standard mix of originals and popular covers, but the results were killer throughout. With Dangel, Johnson and Gossan responsible for most of the original material, tracks like 'Brought Up Wrong', the earlier single 'Watch Your Step', and 'Three Minute & Ten Second Blues' sported a distinctively heavy, Hendrix-inspired sound. Propelled by Gossan's likeable voice and Dangel and Johansen's twin leads extended guitar rave-ups like 'Crackpot' and their Byrds/Stones instrumental medley should strike a chord with the two hard rock fans out there reading this. Elsewhere another 'Hey Jude' cover wouldn't have sounded like the year's most imaginative move, but these guys managed to pull it off. Envision the song redone as an instrumental with a heavy edge that would have sounded good on an early Allman Brothers album ... one of the most impressive Beatles covers I've ever heard. In fact the only real disappointment is the routine bluesy closer 'Gonna' Lay Down 'n Die'. Much better than the standard references would have you think.

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Far East Family Band - Parallel World 1976

Regarded by many as the first Japanese progressive rock group, the Far East Family Band featured the keyboardist and future new age composer, Kitaro. A keyboard-dominated space rock band, the Far East Family Band played extended compositions that brought comparisons to Tangerine Dream and early Pink Floyd.

The group's first album was released under the band name of Far Out. After changing their name, the band released The Cave Down to Earth in 1975. Their first European release, Nipponjin -- Join Our Mental Phase Sound (1975), featured re-recorded versions of material from the previous record and the album attributed to Far Out. The group's next record, Parallel Worlds (1976), was profoundly influenced by Klaus Schulze who Kitaro met on a trip through Europe. With the first track over 30 minutes long, the album bears similarities to Krautrock legends Ash Ra Tempel. Tenkujin (1977) followed and was the band's first and only American release. By this point, the band consisted of Miyashta (vocals, synths, guitars, bamboo flute), Hirohito Fukushima (guitar, vocals, koto), and Yujin Harada (drums, percussion). It would be the band's last record. AMG.

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The Carla Bley Band - European Tour 1977 (1978)

One of Carla Bley's most rewarding recordings, this set features her tentet playing such numbers as "Wrong Key Donkey," "Drinking Music" and the 19-minute "Spangled Banner Minor and Other Patriotic Songs." Bley's wry humor is often felt and she utilizes such colorful players as trumpeter Michael Mantler, Gary Windo on tenor, trombonist Roswell Rudd and Bob Stewart on tuba in this unusual, somewhat innovative and always fun music. AMG.

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Mother Earth - Living with the Animals 1968

Though Mother Earth is often remembered as a vehicle for Tracy Nelson, Living With the Animals is a true group effort, combining memorable vocal performances with tight R&B-derived playing with excellent guitar work from Michael Bloomfield. Side one is a showcase for Nelson's blues belting and piano, particularly on "Down So Low" and "Mother Earth." Not to be overlooked is the blues shuffle "I Did My Part" and R.P. St. John's sardonic "Living With the Animals" and "Marvel Set," which features him on lead vocals. Side two doesn't hold up quite as well, though there are stellar moments here as well, including "Cry On" and "Goodnight Nelda Grebe," with fine horn section work and excellent Nelson vocals. Written and fronted by St. John, "The Kingdom of Heaven Is Within You" is a brilliant closer; it's nocturnal, moody, and spacy and showcases beautiful muted trumpets and reeds with a gorgeous flute solo by Link Davis Jr. The album was reissued on CD by Wounded Bird in 2004. AMG.

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Otis Redding - Love Man 1969

While Otis Redding was already one of the biggest stars in soul music when he died in a tragic plane crash in 1967, as is some times the case his star rose considerably after his passing, and this 1969 release dusted off a set of unreleased tracks Redding had cut in 1967, one of which (the title cut) went on to become a sizable chart hit. Love Man doesn't hold together quite as well as Redding's best proper albums, such as Otis Blue and Complete and Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul, but it also manages to avoid sounding like a collection of out-takes and leftovers; as an album it's significantly stronger than the average R&B release of similar vintage, due to Redding's indefatigable energy and conviction as a vocalist and the ever-indomitable groove of Steve Cropper, Al Jackson, Jr., and the other members of the Stax Records studio crew. If Love Man is flawed, it's not a matter of execution so much as material; while Redding's originals are good, none are quite up to the standards of "Cigarettes and Coffee" or "My Lover's Prayer", and covers like "A Lover's Question" and "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" are not ideally suited to Redding's style. But even the flawed material helps prove just how strong Redding's work was, even under less than ideal circumstances, and Love Man makes it clear he never gave less than %110 percent in the studio. AMG.

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Dewey Redman - The Ear of the Behearer 1973

This 1998 CD reissues Dewey Redman's entire The Ear of the Behearer album (although it leaves out an alternate take of "Interconnection" that was released on a different set), plus four of the seven selections from his Coincide record of a year later. Some of the music is quite adventurous and free, while other tracks include some freebop, a struttin' blues ("Boody"), and quieter ballads. Redman, a distinctive tenor saxophonist, actually plays alto on five of the first six selections; he is less memorable (although no less exploratory) on the smaller horn. Redman is joined on most cuts by trumpeter Ted Daniel, throughout the Behearer date by cellist Jane Robertson, and on the full set by bassist Sirone and drummer Eddie Moore; violinist Leroy Jenkins and percussionist Danny Johnson also make guest appearances. These two albums were Redman's only sets as a leader for Impulse. Intriguing music. AMG.

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